THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 21, 1995 TAG: 9511210263
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
The Greensville Correctional Center inmate who stabbed a deputy on the way to court last week hid a makeshift handcuff key and a homemade knife in his shoes, jail officials confirmed Monday.
A jail inmate who was being moved with William L. Griffin, 22, said in an interview that Griffin took the key and knife out of his shoes during the van ride from the jail to Circuit Court. Griffin had been transferred from the prison to the Chesapeake jail in preparation for a probation-violation hearing.
Lt. Col. C.A. Stafford on Tuesday confirmed the inmate's account that the makeshift key and knife were hidden in Griffin's shoes. Stafford also said other inmates in the van knew what was about to happen, but no one alerted the deputies.
An earlier report that Griffin smuggled the key and knife in a body cavity were wrong, Stafford said.
Stafford said several searches of Griffin, including a strip search, failed to locate the key and knife.
Stafford and other jail officials said the deputies involved followed the proper procedures in dealing with Griffin and the others.
He said the key and knife were hidden in a way they wouldn't be found.
During the transfer to court, Griffin unlocked the handcuff binding his right wrist to another inmate's left wrist, but stayed close to the person with whom he was paired, Stafford said.
Suddenly, Griffin lunged at deputy Roger Rosenberry and stabbed him in the neck, the witness said. Rosenberry shot Griffin in the chest.
``I jumped to the ground and crawled into the holding area,'' the witness, who asked not to be named, said. ``I closed the door. I didn't know who shot who. Then I heard a deputy tell someone to call for two ambulances. And I heard (Griffin) said he didn't need an ambulance because he was dying already.''
Griffin is recovering in the Greensville Correctional Center infirmary. Rosenberry, who needed 17 stitches, is back at work.
A spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Corrections said last week that both the Greensville Correctional Center staff and a lapse of security were responsible for not detecting the makeshift key and knife. by CNB